We are often blind to our own environment because of our assumptions, framed by media, insular thinking and our own prejudices. Smart City Consulting's blog – named one of the most intriguing in the U.S. by Pew Partnership for Civic Change – hopes to show how Memphis really is and could be through alternative questions, fresh approaches and new ideas. We hope to open your eyes - and your ears - to a new way of thinking about Memphis. Send ideas and emails to tjones@smartcityconsulting.com.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

John Kirkscey: A Wish For Memphis In 2009

John Kirkscey is the creative force behind Memphis Art Park:

I wish that Memphis would take greater pride in its historic role in greatly influencing the uniqueness and trajectory of the American culture. Such pride would lead to a high level of confidence that this city sorely lacks.

We still have the capacity to inspire our country's soul once again. And given that the American culture seems to have spiralled off into wafer-thin materialism during the recent, but now-defunct, bubble age of easy money, perhaps now's the time for Memphis, with its historic capacity for meaningful art, to shine once again.

In such trying times, our nation will likely become more introspective and crave more meaning and depth from its culture -- such times need art that speaks to the soul and regrounds us.

Memphis, once again, could become that cultural beacon. So my hope for 2009 is that Memphis prioritizes the nurturing of our arts, so that we may come to know ourselves more and appreciate our unique capacity to influence the American culture in a soulful way.